SINGAPORE – Thirty-one people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in various scams in the latest effort by the police to crack down on such illegal activities.
These scams include government officials impersonation scams, Internet love scams, malware phishing scams, rental scams and China officials impersonation scams.
Police investigations found that 19 suspects allegedly sold or rented their bank accounts to criminal syndicates or assisted by carrying out bank transfers and withdrawals.
Another three suspects allegedly cheated banks into opening bank accounts before handing over the ATM cards and Internet banking credentials to the criminal syndicates.
The remaining nine suspects are believed to have sold their Singpass credentials to criminal syndicates to create new bank accounts.
The 31 suspects, who are between the ages of 17 and 67, are expected to be charged on March 22 over their suspected involvement in various offences connected to money mule activities.
These include abetment to cheating, assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, abetting unauthorised access to computer material, unauthorised disclosure of access code and carrying on an unlicensed business of providing payment services.
Those found guilty of conspiring to cheat the bank into opening the bank account can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
First-time offenders who abet unknown persons to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.
People who assist others to retain benefits from criminal conduct may be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.
Those guilty of unauthorised disclosure of access codes could be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Anyone who carries on an unlicensed business of providing payment service can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $125,000, or both.
To avoid being an accomplice in such crimes, the police urged people to always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy pay-outs for the use of their Singpass or bank accounts to transfer or receive money for others.
Those found linked to such crimes will be held accountable, the police said.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688.